The Ruins of Gorland, Chapter 30 and a Half
by Mrs. Knightley
Summary: Just half of a chapter covering events in the book that were overlooked in the book it's self.


Baron Arald was down, Halt wasn't moving. Sir Rodney was standing seemingly paralyzed, staring into the kalkara's horrible gaze. Will's mind raced, trying to find some way to help when a flicker of light from the corner of his eye drew his attention. An idea forming, Will slipped from Tug's back and taking an arrow from his quiver he quickly knelt by the torch discarded by Baron Arald earlier. He rolled the tip of his arrow in the sticky, melted pitch, then ignited it in the flames. Knocking the arrow he took aim, allowing for the extra weight on the tip of the arrow and released. The arrow shot away and Will knew the shot was good. The last kalkara took the arrow to the chest and burst into flames shrieking in agony and fear. Sir Rodney, who had been standing locked in the monster's terrible stare, suddenly collapsed.

Seeing the man go down, Will had quickly made his way through the maze of tumbled rocks to his fallen companions. He couldn't help it, he checked Halt first, immensely relieved to find him alive. He had a nasty gash on his forehead and the rough bandage around his leg was soaked with blood, but he was breathing. Next he knelt by the Baron who was lying face down, his back showing several deep gashes where the kalkara had torn though his chain mail and into his flesh. He was covered in blood and unconscious, but still alive.

Lastly Will had approached Sir Rodney, his mind recalling Halt's theory on how the kalkara had killed Lord Loriack by simply holding him in that terrifying gaze for too long. Will had watched as the beast stood over the Battle Master, screaming his triumph to the night repeatedly and holding him in that terrifying gaze with its one remaining eye. He feared the worst. As Will approached however, he saw that the man was breathing heavily and panting as if he had just run miles. Will knelt at his side, unsure of what to do or how to help. Touching the man's arm he said quietly, "Sir Rodney... it's okay now. The monster is dead. You're alright." The man's eyes fluttered and for a moment he looked up into Will's concerned face but he made no other response. Then he closed his eyes again and Will could get no further response out of him. Sir Rodney heaved a heavy sigh and slowly his breathing eased a little and began to settle into a more even rhythm.

Hoping the man was simply exhausted from the strain of the encounter, Will looked around the recent battle field trying to decided what to do next. He fely very alone. He felt a nudge on his shoulder and looked up to see Tug's calm brown eyes staring down at him. He gently fondled the little horse's muzzle. "At least you're still here boy" he said, looking up at the horse. "Thank you", he whispered, "you were amazing and you got us here in time to help Halt. You too Blaze", he added, reaching out to stroke the mare's face, she was not far behind the small gray pony. Glancing around he saw Abelard standing at the edge of the trees. The battle horses seemed to have wandered off for the moment but Will was not concerned. They would turn up.

"First things first", he said, standing and surveying the area. Will was unsure if he could move the unconscious men, especially the heavily built knights and was unsure if it would be wise to do so. Instead he found a spot somewhat in the middle of where the three men lay and began to clear away the rocks and boulders so he could build a fire. He gathered wood and stacked it neatly then retrieved a burning branch from what was left of the bonfire Halt had set earlier in the night. With the fire burning happily, he retrieved some of his camping equipment and his first aid pack from Tug's saddle. He heated some water and began to clean the gash on Halt's head. Gently dabbing at the wound to clear away the dirt and derbies. Halt stirred once and Will froze, waiting to see if he would open his eyes but when the older man didn't, he went back to work cleaning and dressing the wound. When he was satisfied with with his work, he turned his attention the blood-soaked bandage on his master's leg. Gently removing the bandage, he found a gash that went several inches down the man's thigh. The wound didn't appear to be very deep and blood was seeping more than gushing out. Will felt confident that it was not life threatening. He cleaned the area and applied the wound salve that that all Rangers carried in their packs. Then taking a clean bandage, he wrapped the leg snugly to stem the blood loss and tied it neatly. Surveying his work, and finding it satisfactory he found a spare cloak and folding it as a pillow placed it under Halt's head. Lastly he removed Halt's own cloak and placed it over him like a blanket. Satisfied that he had done all he could do for his mentor, he moved on to the Baron.

Will knelt beside the man, who was lying on his stomach with his head turned to one side. Carefully he leaned over the still figure, assessing the gashes across his back. There was no way Will could remove what was left of the tattered chain mail shirt. He could not lift the man and try to wriggle him free of the heavy shirt on his own. So instead he tried to clean the wound as best he could. There was not much holding the mail together across the bulk of the wound area and Will was soon able to clear it from the bits of clothing and broken chain. Gently, he cleaned the gashes with the warm water and applied the salve. Again, he was stumped as to how he could possibly bandage the wound. It was simply not a job for one person he concluded and placed a soft linen cloth over the area to help keep it clean while the man slept. He looks uncomfortable lying like that, Will thought as he considered a pillow or blanket. In the end he placed a clean cloth under the man's face so he was at least not lying in the dirt and then covered him with a light blanket.

He then turned his attention to the Battle Master. Rodney was lying still and breathing evenly and deeply now. There were no exterior wounds or injuries that Will could find. With his breathing back to normal Will simply fashioned a pillow for him and covered him with a blanket to protect him from the chilly night that had now settled around them.

It must be well after midnight, Will thought glancing up at the stars over head. He added some more wood to the fire then checked on his master again. Halt was sleeping peacefully so he turned his attention to the horses, unsaddling them and rubbing them down as best he could. First Tug, then Blaze and soon Abelard had joined them. He laid the three saddles neatly on a log, and giving Tug one last pat he turned back to the makeshift campsite.

How he longed for sleep! His eyes burned and his body ached. He had slept little in the last two days and the events of the day were taxing to say the least, but he just couldn't allow himself to lie down and sleep with no one to watch the camp. It went against everything he'd been taught in the last several months. The chances that more evil would be lurking about tonight were not great, he reasoned, but with all three men injured or unconscious, he felt it best if someone stayed awake to watch over things until morning. He could sleep then, he consoled himself, and taking his bow, he selected a spot atop the crumbling wall to his right as a good place to keep watch over the little camp. Silently he climbed up and settled on a rock, exhaustion and anxiety for his friends warring with each other in his mind as he began his long vigil.

Halt awoke slowly, putting together the events of the evening in his mind. He remembered his battle with the kalkara and recognized that waking at all was a lucky thing for him. He opened his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings. He was lying on the ground, a folded cloak under his head as a pillow, not far from the wall he had jumped from while escaping from the enraged beast.

Based on the stars above him and the absolute stillness of the night Halt judged it to be two or three hours before dawn. Near by, there was a small fire, burning low. Beyond it, he could just make out the forms of two other men sleeping near by. He could hear their soft breathing in the silent night. Sir Rodney and the Baron, he surmised. He remembered their timely arrival in coming to his aid.

But where was Will? Ever mindful of his young charge, he wanted to make sure the boy was okay. He remembered the Baron shouting for Will to get back as the two knights charged the hideous monster pursuing him. The logical conclusion was that they had managed to kill the thing, as they were all lying quietly by the fire now. Propping himself up slowly on his elbows his eyes anxiously scanned the area searching for the small boy. As he did so, he also registered a dull ache in his head from where he must have crashed into the rocks when the kalkara sent him tumbling forward. He also had a throbbing pain in his left leg from where the monster's talons had slashed into him. Moving the cloak covering him aside, he saw that the wound had been cleaned and neatly bandaged. It would be painful for several days but he knew the wound was not a serious one.

"Halt!" a quiet voice called and the Ranger turned to see a small, dark familiar figure dropping lightly from what remained of the the nearby wall. Bow in hand, he had obviously been keeping watch while the three men slept. The boy came quickly and silently to Halt's side, the concern showing heavily in his very tired face. "How are you feeling?" he ask anxiously.

"I'm fine" the Halt replied reassuringly, pleased to see the boy was unharmed although he looked like he was near the point of exhaustion. "What happened..." he began to ask but another of the sleeping forms stirred and began to rise.

"Sir Rodney!" Will said with relief, "You're alright!"

"Yes," replied the Battle Master, coming to a standing position. He shook his head gently as if to clear it. "Thanks to you. That was a damn good shot", he said in his deep steady voice. Will smiled at him tiredly as more of his fears and concern for his comrades were set to rest. Will was exhausted.

Sir Rodney glanced at Baron Arald and, looking a question at Will, began to move towards the man.

"He's alright", Will assured him. "The gashes are deep and will need tending I think, but I cleaned it as best I could and treated it with a salve to stave off infection". He glanced at Halt for approval as he said this. Halt met his eyes and nodded. Tired as he was, Will felt a surge of pleasure at the gesture, as he always did when he felt Halt's approval.

"Very good", replied Rodney. Taking in the rough camp and dully burning fire, he asked, "Have you kept watch all night?"

Will nodded slowly. "I didn't think it would be good to...", he started, glancing at Halt once more. "You did well." his master said quietly. The words surprised Will, he was not used to such verbal replies from his mentor.

"I will take it from here," the Battle Master said. "You get some rest. You look dead on your feet."

Will gave him another tried smile. "Yes sir, thank you sir," he said and turned back to Halt. "I'm glad you're okay", he whispered quietly then he curled into a ball wrapped in his cloak. He was asleep almost instantly.

Sir Rodney looked Halt over, noting the bandaged head and leg. "You alright?" he asked. The Ranger inclined his head. "I'll live," he stated in his normal sardonic tone.

Taking the tone as a good indicator of the man's over all condition, Rodney then moved to where the Baron lay, still unconscious. He nodded approvingly as he inspected the job Will had done in cleaning the wound. "That is some apprentice you have there Halt", he said glancing over at the Ranger. Halt who had been watching the sleeping boy, looked up meeting the other man's gaze.

"He certainly is", the Ranger replied quietly.

The Battle Master set to work stitching up the gashes on Arald's back. All Knights were trained is such crude battle field wound care. He knew it would be best to get it done before the Baron regained consciousness. As it was, the unconscious man flinched and moaned a little while he worked. Then, just before Rodney had finished, the man came to with a cry of pain.

"I am sorry my Lord", the Knight said, placing his had on the man's shoulder reassuringly "I'm almost done".

The Baron nodded to show he understood and bit back another cry as the Battle Master continued his doctoring.

The boy had jerked awake at the sound of the Baron's cry. Halt placed a hand on him, quieting him and spoke softly, assuring him that it was okay to sleep. Will relaxed at the touch and the sound of his master's voice, unconsciously edging closer to his mentor while he slept. Halt smiled fondly at the boy. Such smiles were seldom seen by anyone but in the dark, with Rodney busy attending to Arald, he felt he could allow it.

Once the stitching was complete, Rodney helped the Baron into a sitting position and tried to ease him out of what was left of his chain mail. The Baron bit back another cry of pain as the mail shirt came free. The Battle Master then set to work wrapping the bandage tightly around the mans chest.

As he was working, and now that both men were awake, Halt asked for the details of the fight. As the Baron's teeth were clenched against the pain of the ministrations he was receiving, Rodney thought it best if he told the story.

He described for Halt how they had arrived to find the mortally wounded kalkara by the fire and their charge that had propelled it into the fire, finishing it off. He of course knew of Halt's uncanny ability with the bow but that didn't stop him from being impressed by the way the Ranger had managed to stop the first kalkara. After Halt's sudden appearance over the wall, he described how the Baron had launched an attack on the beast followed by his own attack once Arald was down. His normally steady voice wavered a little as he told of the heart stopping fear he felt as the monster's gaze engulfed him. How his muscles had frozen and his heart began to race until he thought it would explode out his body.

His body paralyzed, he was well aware of his situation but could do nothing but wait for his own death when suddenly, there appeared a gray shafted arrow in the center of the brute's chest. The tip barely penetrating the animals thick waxy fur, but it brought with it fire. The admiration was evident in his voice as he came to the conclusion that the young apprentice must have rolled the arrow tip in the pitch from the discarded torches, set it ablaze and then launched it at the beast hitting it squarely in the chest. The hair caught rapidly and the animal went up in a shower of red sparks and flames much like the first.

"And none too soon", the Battle Master added, "I couldn't have lasted much longer. I must have collapsed shortly after and the last thing I remember was Will kneeling over me assuring me that it was okay and the monster was dead.

It appears he then set up camp, building a fire and tending to your's and Arald's wounds and trying making us comfortable before setting himself to watch while we slept. I can not believe I turned down such a young man to be my apprentice."

Rodney marveled at the boys resourcefulness and ability and initiative. Marveled at how one so small could accomplish so much. Halt smiled at the man's words knowing he meant no offense by what he said. In the Battle Master's world the biggest and the strongest were often the most capable. There was obvious praise and gratitude in the man's voice as he spoke of Will.

Halt, for himself, was impressed but not surprised. He was well aware of the young man's talents and abilities as well has his resourcefulness and ingenuity. He nodded at the Battle Master's praise of his apprentice.

"We owe him our lives", the Baron agreed simply. "We are lucky he is such a young man and so loyal to you, Halt".

When the Ranger's gaze met his questioningly he continued, "When he showed up at the castle, yesterday morning, having ridden though the night to inform us of what you were up to and what as going on I tried to convince him to stay at the castle and rest but he wouldn't hear of it. He said he though you were in danger, thought the kalkara were really hunting you and that his place was with you. I am very glad now that I allowed him to come with us."

Halt nodded again. "He is an amazing young man", he agreed quietly, looking down at the sleeping boy once more.

"We will have to think of some way to honor him", the Baron said before yawning widely. "I think I will try to get some more rest before morning finds us. You should do the same Halt", he added.

The Ranger nodded. " We have about an hour before first light', he said as he pulled his cloak over himself and laid back down.

Sir Rodney stood to take up the century position and silence fell over the little camp again. Halt lay quietly thinking of his apprentice. He was immensely proud of Will. 


End file.
